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Form of workJob Description
We are searching for a Director of Materials for our client, a fast growing activewear brand in southern CA.
The Director of Materials will lead, manage, and execute the seasonal material development processes, utilizing advanced and innovative product related materials, process, and knowledge. You will manage a passionate material team from the Design brief through commercialization to deliver products that exceed consumer expectations. Technical responsibilities include understanding fibers, base fabrications, cut and sew apparel manufacturing, fabric mill and wash processes as well as associated limitations, anticipating issues, problem solving, and timely resolution. As a leader on the team, you are responsible for providing direction, inspiration, and guidance. Leading goes beyond a title, it is a way of being and we are looking for someone who promotes an environment that is curious, diverse, and thought provoking. It is mandatory that you can balance your workload as well as manage and motivate others.
Qualifications
- People first leadership; nurture the strength and talents of the individuals and build a team committed to achieving common goals while integrating happiness and fun along the way.
- Lead up to 5 direct reports to achieve business, product, and personal goals.
- Opportunity oriented within processes, resources, timelines, and team engagement.
- Department leader who takes initiative to regulate, prioritize and delegate as needed.
- Demonstrate and set expectations for effective, clear, and timely communication throughout team; be decisive while considering the overall project (global) resources involved.
- Build out / Manage end-to-end roles for Materials division.
- Assess current practices and calendar, and implement necessary changes to continue to scale with business needs, partnering closely with cross functional partners.
- Implement multi-tiered pipeline for material development; across multiple categories and altering levels of complexity to drive consistency and clarity in process.
- Plan and track the development schedule across multiple seasons of all categories to ensure timely completion according to calendar.
- Create Materials' seasonal development calendar and champion process creation, improvement, and execution.
- Interim category management as the team continues to grow.
- Responsible for demonstrating innovative ideas around material and trim development processes, principles and standards that improve product performance, product value, while creating collaboration across product teams and providing help wherever necessary.
- Establish, report, and analyze department KPI’s as the business evolves and change occurs (including but not limited to sustainability, costing, system accuracy, adoption rates, timelines, etc.).
- Build out vendor performance process as related to pricing, consistency, sustainability, to fuel sourcing strategies.
- Manage and direct the maintenance of the reference library of approved textiles and trims; with marked approval dates and current technical spec/cost sheets.
- Deliver effective outcomes in performance fabric and trim attributes to create a positive consumer experience.
- Negotiate and finalize seasonal costing to ensure the best cost is achieved across the apparel product range.
- Collaborate with the Sustainability Manager to ensure material development alignment with seasonal waypoints and long-term direction of the brand's Sustainability Roadmap.
- Cross functionally co-creates brand sourcing strategy.
- Build out process to support Supply Planning in forecasting, raw material reservations, annual costing, and lead time planning.
- Ability to work on short, mid, and long-term projects.
- Research emerging concepts and innovation and interpreting them into commercial opportunities.
- Partner with manufacturers on new techniques and technologies to ensure that products incorporate the functional and aesthetic needs our consumers' demand.
- Work closely with the cross-functional teams on the line architecture to understand the projected development of the line and use this information to establish consistency in the line about performance and functional material attributes.
- Oversee coordination and review with Asia Innovation and testing teams to ensure that all materials pass the brand's commercialization process by the specified calendar dates.
- Responsible for upholding Material team budget.
Qualifications
- Degree in Textiles or Material Manufacturing Sciences or related field; may be substituted with relevant experience in textiles and manufacturing
- 12+ years of experience in engineering, troubleshooting, and testing performance knits, wovens and trims with passion and experience leading teams required
- 5+ years of experience managing a team and business strategies required
- Advanced knowledge across many material constructions and processes involved in material development including engineering warps, wefts, and wovens.
- Extensive knowledge in raw material properties, testing, and costing.
- Proficient in PLM system to build, support and maintain digital material library.
- Computer proficiency with office software; MS Word, Excel, Google, PowerPoint, Keynote, and Illustrator.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate in a collaborative, cross-functional group to meet strategic objectives.
- Effective project management skills and experience, including the ability to articulate goals and objectives, manage projects independently and the ability to network and utilize internal and external resources.
- Capacity to observe and listen while communicating with honesty and kindness; creates the space for others to do the same (both verbal and written).
- Advanced ability to communicate new ideas, concepts, and functional expertise within project teams and to external stakeholders.
- Ability to motivate and manage across all levels of the organization
- Build trust and relationships with vendors and cross functional teams
Special Physical and/or Mental Requirements:
- International and Domestic travel required up to 10% of the year including by air, ground and overnight
- Willing and able to work additional hours when needed.
- Bend, lift, open and move product and related office items varying in weight from 1 to 25lbs, depending on need.
Pay: $175,000 - $200,000
